Machine for cleansing bottles and similar vessels.



L. STRASBURGER & L. GRANGES. monmn FOR CLEANSING BOTTLES AND SIMILAR VBSSELS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1909. 940,948, Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

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MACHINE APPLICATION I'ILIED APR. 27, 1909.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909. 7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. STRASBU RGER 8; -L. GRANGES. MAGHINE FOR CLEANSING BOTTLES AND SIMILAR VESSELSI APPLICATION. FILED APR. 27, 1909 Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

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APPLIGATION FILED APR. 27, 1909. 940,948, Patented Nov. 23. 1909.

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Patented N0v..23, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1909.

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APPLIQATIQN FILED APR. 27, 1909.

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LUCIEN STRASBURGER AND LOUIS GRANGES, 0F PARIS, FRANCE.

MACHINE FOR CLEANSING BOTTLES AND SIMILAR VESSELS.

arenas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1909. Serial No. 492,461.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LUoiEN STRASBURGER, of 7-3 Rue de Maubeuge, and LoUIs GRANGES, of 25 Boulevard Barbes, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Machines for Cleansing Bottles and Similar Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for washing, injecting fluid into the interior of, and rinsing, bottles and similar vessels, said machine being provided with a chain conveyer driven mechanically, and the object of the invention is more particularly to provide means for supporting the bottles or the like and also an injection device, and also improved means for reducing the speed of the bottles while passing between the cleaning brushes and means for guiding the bottles as they leave the machine.

The means for supporting the bottles is particularly characterized by a thin cross piece termed a holed cross piece and rigidly connected with or forming one of the elements of the conveyer and provided with holes mfor the passage and support of the body of the bottles and comprising a fixed support for supporting the neck of the bottles and a rocking support for maintaining the bottom of the bottles for the purpose of enabling the recesses for the reception of the bottles to be dispensed with and by freeing the outside of the bottles to be washed enabling the exterior to be thoroughly clean.

The injector distributor device is characterized by the fact that between the in jection member and the part to be injected which is rigidly connected with a member to which a movement differing from that of the distributer is imparted there is interposed a part forming a joint on the one hand with the injection distributer and on the other hand with the part to be injected with the object of forming a watertight connection between .these parts enabling this part to be placed in communication with the 1njection member.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a general view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a detail view. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 to 7 are arranged at the upper part of the machine.

A cross piece In preferably of stamped sheet metal and rigidly connected with or constituting one of the elements of the con veyer is formed with orifices m of suitable form serving to receive and support the bottles, and it 'is supported by two lateral uprights fixed to two corresponding links of the chains 6. A bar 11, forming a rocking support rigid with the shafts 0 journaled in the uprights and capable of rocking through a certain angle limited by sectors p rigid with these uprights j is able to come beneath the orifices m in order to prevent the bottles from falling. Springs 9 resting upon the head of the shafts 0 serve to maintain this bar a in its proper position. At the other end of the cheeks or uprights j a transverse washing collector 1" is sup ported; from this collector proceed pipes s which are to serve as internal supports for the bottles. These pipes s are situated in the axis of the openings m and are of a length appropriate to the kind of bottle or other receptacle to be washed.

For automatically operating the rocking supports a which serve to maintain the bot tles in place during their passage through the baths, an inclined sheet of metal i is arranged in front of the machine (Fig. 2);

this plate is able to rock around a horizontal shaft 5 and a spring 6 tends to maintain it in the position represented in this figure. This sheet of metal serves to bring the bottles introduced into the holes m into the proper position. Beneath this sheet f a spring 7 is fixed to the wall of the trough a in the path of the rocking supports a.

Each of the two pairs of wheels 0 cl arranged at the lower part comprises a wheel it formed with perforations 1) arranged in a circle at a suitable distance from the center. A disk 02 mounted upon the hub z of the wheel at is applied against this wheel by a spiral spring 3 bearing upon the wall of the trough andon a portion of its circumference this disk carries an annular chamber 1 coinmunicating by a socket 2 with the forcing chamber of a pump or similar apparatus exerting suction in the trough itself through a socket 3.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

The collector r rigidly connected with the Y holed cross piece 7; is closed at one of its ends and is supported by arms j which are somewhat resilient. A spherical cup 10 rests upon the free end of this collector and is provided with a central orifice 9, a spring t causing it to form a good joint with the end of the collector. The plane face 10 of this cup is ground in such a manner that it exactly fits the plane face of the wheel a.

The length of the arms j and their arrangement are such that each cup 10 registers with a hole '0 in the wheel u when the corresponding link of the chain conveyer is in mesh with the teeth of this wheel.

A cam 11, mounted on the rear framing of the machine is connected to one of the wheels of the said machine by suitable gearing. On this cam there bears a roller 12 carried by a lever 13. This lever is pivoted at one end 1% to the framing, and jointed at its other end to a connecting rod 15. The latter is in turn jointed to a rocking lever 16 pivoted at 17, to the framing of the machine. The lower end of the lever 16 is provided with a bar 18 preferably of wood, for holding the; bottles during their clownward movement.

On the pivot 19 of the connecting rod 15 there is mounted a lever 20, formed at'its free end with an elongated eye 21 receiving a pin that is fixed to a lever 23. This lever 23 is keyed on an axle 24 that is fixed to two levers 25 carrying a movable platform 26 of sufficient length to receive a row of bottles. A lever 21' keyed also on the axle 2 has jointed to it a spring plate 28, that is supported by a rest 29. The free end 30 of this plate is hook shaped and is arranged to move over a fixed platform 31 situated at the place of exit of the bottles.

An inclined plane 32 forming a continuation of the platform 31 extends to two brushes 33 and 3%, over which a spraying pipe is situated. Another inclined plane 36 leads from these brushes to a trough 37 filled with water. This trough may contain a centrifugal pump (not shown) for producing a current of water.

lVhile the machine is operative the conveyer being displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 1) by a motor of any suitable kind driving one of the wheels, when the cross pieces Z: come into proximity with the upper edge of the trough a, the rocking supports nbeing lowered into the position shown in the drawing, bottles are introduced into the holes an after passing their necks over the pipes s constituting the fixed support. On coming into contact with the sheet 4 the bottles are pressed back into the appropriate position and each support a then strikes against the spring 7 which brings it behind the bottles as shown in Fig. 2.

During the passage of the bottles through the baths their outer surfaces come into intimate contact with the washing liquid so that they are thoroughly washed externally.

lVhen a row of bottles reaches the position A (Fig. 2) the mouth to of the corresponding collector r is applied to one of the perforations o in the wheel a and during the whole time that this perforation is moving on front of the chamber 1 the liquid forced through the socket g enters the collector r and the pipes 8 from which it is violently forced into the bottles.

When the bottles reach the posit-ion B i 1.2) the cup 20 is no longer opposite the corresponding perforation 'v and the liquid contained in the bottles and in the injection pipes s and the collector r is emptied into the trough.

The cups to are constantly applied against the lateral wall of the wheel a during their passage over this wheel by the elasticity of the supporting cheeks j and if owing to a difference of level taking place between the two wheels of the same group, or owing to a defect in the conveyer, the collector r is not presented normally to the lateral face of the wheel this collector is able to assume an inclined position on the spherical wall of the cup 10 without ceasing to form a good joint with this cup so that the injection can be ef fected in any position.

The cleaning of the outer partof the bottles is effected by means of the device illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 and the operation is as follows: The speed of the cam 11 is regulated in such a manner that the various levers operated by it occupy in succession the positions shown in Figs. 8 and 9, while the bottle transporting device moves forward one step. \V hen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 8, the movable platform 26 receives the row of bottles which has just left the fixed platform 31 and the hook 3O movesinto engagement with the bar a that serves to hold in place the-followingrow of bottles during the washing operation. In continuing its rotation, the cam 11 raises the roller 12 and thereby causes the parts to assume the positions shown in Fig. 9. The lever 16 moves gradually into the position shown in that figure, and when the lever 20 has reached the end of its stroke the bottom of the slot 21 strikes the pin 22 and moves the platform 26 and the hook 3O suddenly into the position shown in Fig; 9, thereby drawing the bar it out of the way so as to allow the row of bottles to drop on to the platform 31. In the meantime the platform 26 which has received the bottles coming from the fixed platform 31; moves back suddenly and allows these bottles to slide on to the inclined plane 32. Then the roller 12 in returning over the circular part of the cam 11, causes the lever 16 to resume the position shown in Fig. 8. In this movement the said lever accompanies first the bottles between the brushes and over the inclined plane 36, and then leaves them, whereupon they slide into the trough 37, while at the end of the stroke of the lever 20, the hook 30 and the platform 26 return suddenly into the positions shown in Fig. 8.

The advantages of the apparatus under the invention are as follows: The bottles being supported by cross pieces instead of being arranged in recesses as in known machines, they are permanently and intimately in contact with the external washing liquid which flows entirely over them and is therefore able to free them very completely from foreign bodies. The movements of the liquid produced by the discharge of the injection water render the external washing more efficacious so that the bottles leave the baths in a satisfactory condition of cleanliness. In addition to this the washing being rendered more energetic by the prolonged injection into each bath permits of reducing the number of baths and also the time of immersion in each of them, thereby decreasing the volume of the machine and the duration of the washing operation. As the bottles are supported by the rocking support a the injection pressure may be increased at will. In conducting the injection liquid to the bottom of the bottles the latter receive the jet for washing them internally with greater force and in addition this jet strikes directly against the bottom of the bottle which is generally its most dirty portion.

" Finally owing to the fact that the bottles are not arranged in recesses they are able to cool more readily when they leave the, ma.- chine thereby avoiding breakages which might be caused by their contact with the cool liquid with which they are to be filled.

.Any appropriate support for the neck of the bottles may be combined with the holed cross pieces and the said support may enter the bottles if desired. For example the neck might be supported by means of caps fitting over the end of the neck but the arrangement described is preferable because it permits simultaneously the internal injection through the fixed support.

It will of course be understood that any desired injection distributing device other than the disk 00 and the perforated wheel 1) might be utilized provided that the cup w is supplied with liquid at the proper time.

The bar 18 may be supportetd by a set of two levers 16 arranged at each of its ends actuated by a single connecting rod 15 or by two similar connecting rods.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:

1. In a machine for washing, injecting asst AVAILABLE COW,

fluid into the interior of, and rinsing, bottles or similar receptacles with a mechanical con- 7 veyer passing through appropriate baths, a device for supporting the bottles or the like characterized by a thin cross piece (is) rigidly connected with or forming one of the with recesses and rendering the whole of the exterior of the bottles accessible for cleans ing purpose.

2. In a machine for washing, injecting fluid into, and rinsing bottles or similar receptacles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths a support constituted by tubes extending into and almost to the bottoms of the bottles and rigid with a collector or injection pipe and suported by arms (3') for the purpose of utilizing these supports for injecting liquid inside the bottles during their passage through the baths and owing to the eddies caused in these baths as a result of this in jection facilitating the washing of the out side of the bottles.

3. In a machine for washing, injecting fluid into, and rinsing bottles or similar receptacles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths an injection distributer device characterized by the fact that between the receiver and the injection distributer a hemispherical cup is interposed, this cup being held upon the injection receiver by a resilient pressure, the device constituted by this cup and the receiver being applied resiliently in the injection distributer for the purpose of making a good joint between the injector member and the distributer in spite of any alteration of level which may occur.

4. In a machine for washing, injecting fluid into, and rinsing bottles or similar receptacles with a mechanical conveyer passin through appropriate baths an injection digibuter device characterized by the combination with a wheel (a) formed with perforations (o) forming an injection distributer and moving opposite a cavity (1) formed in a fixed plate (as) held resiliently against the wheel and provided with an admission socket (2) and with a hemispherical cup (w) the spherical face of which is held resiliently against the open end of an injection collector (7") the plane face (10) of this cup being held against the wheel (a) by the resiliency of the supports (7') of the collector (1").

5. In a machine for washing, injecting fluid into and rinsing bottles or similar receptacles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths, a device for supporting the receptacles characterized by a thin cross piece (76) rigidly connected with or forming'one of the elements of the conveyer and formed with holes for the passage of the bodies of the bottles, a relatively fixed tubular support for supporting the necks of the bottles and a rocking support 11 for supporting the bottoms of the bottles, said relatively fixed tubular support carrying tubes extending into and almost to the bottom of the bottles and serving as an injection receiverfor injecting liquid inside the bottles.

G. In a machine for washing, injecting fluid into and rinsing bottles or similar. receptacles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths, a device for supporting the receptacles characterized by a thin cross piece (is) rigidly connected with or forming one of the elements of the conveyer and formed with holes for the passage of the bodies of the bottles, a relatively fixed tubular support for supporting the necks of the bottles and a rocking support a for supporting the bottoms of the bottles, said relatively fixed tubular support carrying tubes extending into and almost to the bottom of the bottles and serving as an injection receiver for injecting liquid inside the bottles, and an injection distributercomprising a wheel (a) formed with perforations (o) and moving opposite a cavity (1) in a fixed plate (00) held resiliently against the wheel, and a spherical cup (w) fitted between the wheel and the injection collector.

7. In a machine for washing bottles with a mechanical conveyer passing through ap propriate baths, a swinging platform for receiving the bottles from the conveyer, a timed cam for swinging the platform, scrubbing brushes, and a guideway for conducting the bottles dumped from the swinging platform to the scrubbing brushes.

8. In a machine for washing bottles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths, mechanism for releasing the bottles from the conveyer, a swinging receiving platform for the released bottles, a

- timed cam for operating the releasing mechanism and swinging the receiving platform, scrubbing brushes, and a guidewayfor conducting the bottles dumped from the swinging platform to the scrubbing brushes.

9. In a machine for washing bottles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths, a swinging platform for receiving the bottles from the conveyer, scrubbing brushes, a guideway for conducting the bottles to the scrubbing brushes, and a traveling bar (18) for receiving the bottles dumped from the swinging platform and accompanying them along the guideway between the scrubbing brushes.

10. In a machine for washing bottles with a mechanical conveyer passing through appropriate baths, a device for supporting the bottles on the conveyer, each comprising a relatively fixed support for the necks of the bottles and rocking support (07.) for the bottoms of the bottles, in combination with hooks (30) for rocking the bottom-support to release the bottles, a swinging receiving platform (26), scrubbing brushes, a guideway for conducting the bottles to the scrubbing brushes, and a traveling bar (18) for accompanying the bottles along the guideway between the scrubbing brushes.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, at Paris, France, this 16th day of April 1909.

LUCIEN STRASBURGER. LOUIS GRANGES. In the presence of two witnesses:

HENRY boHwAB, DEAN M. Mason. 

